Sliding hopper discharge outlet closure actuating mechanism



March 26, 1963 G. B. DoREY 3,082,704

SLIDING HOPPR DSCHARQE OUTLET CLOSURE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed March 10, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. B. DOREY March 26, 1963 SLIDING HOPPER DISCHARGE OUTLET CLOSURE ACTUATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1959 INVENTOR. G60/ge ary, M MMM/ G. B. DOREY March 26, 1963 SLIDING HOPPER DISCHARGE OUTLET CLOSURE ACTUATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 10, 1959 INVENTOR. i60/ge E ZPO/ey @M G. B. DOREY 3,082,704

SLIDING HoPPER DISCHARGE OUTLET cLosURE ACTUATING MECHANISM March 26, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 10, 1959 X@ QM @W5 INVENTOR.

eafge O/Qy March 26, 1963 G. B. DOREY 3,082,704

SLIDING HOPPER DISCHARGE OUTLET cLosURE ACTUATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 10, 1959 Q INVNTOR. 1/ George/ O/Qg BY s! 05h/HJ United States Patent O 3,082,704 SLIDiNG HPPER DISQHARGE OUTLET CLOSURE ACTUATING MECHANISM George B. Dorey, Westmount, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 798,435 6 Claims. (Cl. 165-282) This invention relates to an improved hopper discharge outlet such as employed in railway hopper cars and the like.

The objects of the invention, among others, are: To provide a closure or gate having bodily translatory and tilting movement; to provide improved mechanism for electing sliding movement of the closure or gate and also effecting a tilting movement after a predetermined eXtent of sliding movement; to provide folding linkage 4mechanism for effecting sliding and tilting movement of a closure or gate; to provide improved means for retaining linkage mechanism in an enfolded relation and thereby permitting the operation of said linkage in both tension and compression; and to provide mechanism for arresting opening movement of a closure or gate in full open position with provision for rendering said arresting mechanism inoperative to allow further opening movement of said closure.

The invention further resides in certain details of construction concerned with the structure of the outlet and details of mechanism associated with the movement and operation of `the closure or gate.

For :further comprehension of the improvement rer'- erence may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein the invention is shown as applied to a railway hopper car.

In said drawings:

Figure l shows the lower portion of one halt the width of a railway hopper car with the improved outlet structure applied thereto, the center sill and a portion of the side wall being shown in vertical section, the arresting mechanism being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of the hopper structure shown in FIGURE 1, as viewed from lett to right.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan View of the outlet assembly shown in FIGURE 2 with the floor plates and side walls eliminated and certain parts broken away to better illustrate the structure.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the hopper and on a line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken on a line 5 5 of FIGURE l showing the closure or gate in closed position.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view similar to FiGURE 5 except that the closure or gate is shown in an intermediate position after the leading edge is withdrawn from its side supporting ledges and with the arm and linkage mechanisms in enfolded state, said View also indicating by conventional dot and dash lines the position of the closure or gate in tilted position.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View similar to FIGURES 5 and 6 except that the closure or gate is shown in normal open position by rull lines with the trailing edge thereof held in settled open position by the enfolded linkage which is held in such position by an arresting stop, said view also indicating by conventional dot and dash lines the high position of the trailing edge of the closure or gate prior to its assuming its settled position.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7-except that the closure 3,082,704 Patented Mar. 26, 1953 or gate is shown in its extreme withdrawn position and beyond the hopper opening with all parts of the upper surface thereof exposed and accessible for cleaning, said view showing the arresting mechanism as swinging to an inoperative position.

FIGURE 9 is a fractional sectional plan view taken on a line 9-9 of FIGURE 2 and showing the arresting mechanism.

In said drawings the car structure proper is indicated by a center sill 10 and a side wall 11, including a side sill 11a, and interposed between said center sill 10 and side wall 11 is a hopper generally indicated at 12. In practice it will be understood that another hopper is disposed in transversely aligned relation on the opposite side of the center sill 19 but, inasmuch as the structure for both hoppers is similar, the description herein will be coniined to the hopper 12. The hopper 12 is generally of four-sided construction including oppositely sloping floors 13 and 14 which meet with outer and inner side walls 15 and 16 to form the four sides of the hopper opening 12.

The hopper 12 and opening 12 therethrough are bordered by a frame 17 which includes an upper Vsection 18 and a lower four sided enclosure 19. The upper section 18 includes walls 20, 21, 22 and 23 of roiled steel plate which overlie the sloping oors 13 and 14 and the side walls 15 and 16. The walls 20, 21, and 22 extend at an inwardly sloping angle and wall 23, which overlies the inner side wall 16, includes a downwardly inwardly sloping section 24, FIGURE 4, There is, therefore, formed by walls 20, 21 22 and 2li an inverted trapezoidal like structure which seats in the lower er1- closure 19.

The lower enclosure 19 includes longitudinally eX- tending side walls 25 and 26 and end walls 27 and 2S of rolled structural steel channel. The side walls 25 and 26 and end wall 27 each include sloping upper sections as indicated at 29, 3d and 31 which underlie the respective sloping walls 22, 24 and 21 and are welded thereto as indicated at 32, 33 and 34. The end wall 28 extends transversely at a sloping angle between the side walls 25 and 26 and includes an upper ledge portion 35 which extends from the sloping wall 23 on a radius of appreciable length to provide an arcuate surface 36. The ledge 35 constitutes the lower wall of a slot 37 through which a sliding closure or gate 38 extends. The upper boundary of the slot 37 is formed by the lower margin 44) of a transversely extending reinforcing member 41 which is of rolled structural steel angle like shape with one wall 42 underlying the sloping wall 2) and having the adjacent wall ,43 extending outwardly and longitudinally of the frame 17 The closure or gate 38 is vformed of rolled steel plate and preferably includes a flat body portion 44 having an upturned end flange 45 and upstanding side flanges 46 and 47. Runways for the closure or gate 38 are provided at each side of the frame 17 as indicated at 48 for supporting the closure or gate 38 in combination with an end ladge -49 in closed position. The runways 48 are secured, as by welding, to the inner sides of the Vside walls 25 and 26 andthe end ledge 49 is likewise secured to the inner `surface of the end wall 27. Extension runways 50 lie beyond the frame 17 and are disposed in alignment with lthe runways 48 and 49 to underlie the trailing edge of the closure or gate 38 when in openposition. Intermediate the runways 48 and 49 and the extension runways `50 there are intermediate portions extending downwardly at an inclined as at 52 and thence horizontally as at 53to allow for downwardly movement of the leading edge 38' of the closure or gate 38 as will be described.

At the sides of the frame 17 there are disposed extensions 54-54, in the form of an angle shaped rolled structural members, which overlie the side walls 2S and 26 and are welded thereto as indicated at 55. The extension runways 50 are suitably secured, as by welding, to the inner sides of the extensions 54. Bearings 57 are welded to the outer ends of the extensions '54 for receiving a rotatable operating shaft 58.

The operating shaft 58 is connected with the closure or gate 38 by means of folding linkages generally indicated at 59. Each linkage 59 is of the so-called jackknife type and there are preferably two per outlet. Each linkage 59 includes an arm 60 non-rotatably mounted on the shaft 58 and a pair of links 61 and 62 straddling the arm 60 and pivotally united therewith by pivot pins 62 and also pivotally connected with the closure or gate 38 by pivot pins 63. Integrally formed with the arms 60 are hubs 64 which, in turn, are held in position along the shaft 58 by rivets 64. Lugs 6'5, FIGURE 3, are secured to the upstanding flange 45 of the closure or gate 38 and disposed in alignment with the arms 60 to receive the pivot pins 63. With the links 61 and 62 united together by the pivot pins 62' and 63, it will be observed that the links 61 and 62 of each linkage 59 function as a unitary structure and, when in extended position as best seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, act as struts between the :respective arm 60 and the closure or gate 38 to maintain the latter in closed position with the line of thrust from the axis 66 of rotation of the shaft 58 to the closure or gate 38 extending on a substantially straight line 67, FIGURE 5, through the axis 66 of the shaft 58 and the longitudinal axes of pivots 62 and 63. Rotation of the shaft 58 clockwise through an angle of approximately 180 operates to enfold the linkages 59 to the position best seen by reference to FIGURE 6 which moves the closure or gate 38 along the horizontal runways 48 and 49 to a midway position of the discharge opening 12. 'I'he linkages 59, upon attainment of the enfolded state, function as rigid connections between the shaft 58 and the closure or gate 38 upon further rotation of the shaft 58 in the same direction by reason of each of the inner links 61 having an indented central portion 68 having a seat 69 which engages with the respective hub 64 which preferably is formed integrally with the related arm 60. Upon continued rotation of the shaft 58 in a clockwise direction from the position indicated by full lines in FIGURE 6, there is an upward movement of the trailing end 70 of the closure or gate which is now free to tilt about the arcuately shaped surface 36 on the end wall 2'8 as indicated by conventional dot and dash lines in FIGURE 6.

In order to assure the functioning of each linkage 59 as a unit operable in either direction of rotation of the shaft 58, the link 62 is provided with a lateral extension 71 having a peripheral surface 72 extending concentrically with respect to the axis 66 of the shaft 5-8 and extending through an arc of preferably in excess of 180i". The arcuate surface 72 is adapted to engage tangentially with abutment seats 73 and 74 during rotation of the shaft 58 with the linkages 59 in enfolded state as shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. The seats 73 and 74 are preferably provided by the employment of at plates 75 and 76 which are secured in place by welding to the bearings S7 as at 77 and 78.

Upon continued clockwise rotation of the shaft 58 from the position shown in FIGURE 6 the closure or gate 38 is moved to full open position as seen in FIGURE 7. Further opening movement of the closure or gate 38 is limited by arresting mechanism 79, FIGURE 9, in the form of a pivotally mounted rod 80 having a plate 81 welded thereto at 82. The rod `80 is pivotally mounted in bearing plates 84-84 welded to the inner sides of the extensions 54. The plates 84 are preferably of channel shape with inturned upper and lower flanges 85 and 86, the upper flanges 8S serving to limit upward swinging movement of the plate 81 of the arresting mechanism 79 as shown in FIGURE 8 and the lower flange 86 forming a rest for the plate 81 of the arresting mechanism 79 as shown in FIGURE 7. The arresting mechanism 79 is thus weighted to bias it to arresting position and such biased position is further positively secured by means of ribs 87 which are disposed in alignment with the arms 60 and said ribs form a rest for limiting undue overcenter knuckling of the linkages 59 when the closure or gate 38 is in closed position as seen in FIGURE 5.

Whenever complete accessibility to the closure or gate 38 is desired for cleaning purposes, the normally biased arresting mechanism 79 is shifted to an inoperative position as seen in FIGURE 8. Then the closure or gate 38 can be completely withdrawn beyond the opening 12 until its trailing end 70 rests on enlarged arcuate shaped ends 88 of the arms 60.

In the fully open position, las seen in FIGURE 7, it will be noted that the closure or gate 38 has been moved downwardly from its most elevated or tilted position, as seen by conventional dot and dash lines, through a distance indicated by the reference numeral 89. In its lower or settled position the closure or gate 38 is retained against closing movement under such vibratory impulses as are usually employed for releasing lading since the axis of the pivot axis 63 is positioned to the right of the axis 66 of the shaft 58.

Each linkage S9, as will be more particularly observed by reference to FIGURE 7, operates as a strut to support the trailing end 70 of the closure or gate 38 in open position and is held in enfolded position on the shaft 58 by reason of the contact between peripheral surfaces 72 of extensions 71 on links 62 and the seats 73 and 74 of the plates 75 and 76. The runway surfaces of the horizontal parts 53-'53 operate as guides to engage the leading edge 38 of the closure or gate 38 and guide the same along the surfaces of the inclined parts 52-52 to suppporting position on the surfaces of runways 48-48.

The extensions 54-54 are braced transversely by a tie member 90 which is preferably in the form of an angle member which also operates as a brace for the bearing plates 84-84 which are welded thereto at 91.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the shaft 58. In the present embodiment an operating head 92 having a series of openings 93 for a removable bar 94 is used.

'I'he walls 25, 26 and 27 of the lower enclosure 19 are reinforced by outwardly laterally extending flanges 95, 96 and 97 and on two adjacent sides grooves 98 and 99 are provided to receive the conventional types of chute extension as indicated by conventional dot and dash lines at 100 in FIGURE 2. The closure is retained in place by means of C clamps indicated conventionally by the numeral 101.

The assembly of the folding linkages 59 and the application thereof to the closure or gate 38 preferably is accomplished by welding the ends of the pivot pins 62 and 63 to the respective associated links 61 and 62 as indicated at 102 and 103 in FIGURE 3 thereby giving each pair of links 61 and 62 unusual stability and permitting them to function as an integrated structure.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A discharge outlet assembly comprising, in combination:

(a) an enclosure defining a discharge opening,

(b) a slidable closure for said opening projecting at one end through one side of said enclosure in closed position and movable to open position beyond said one side,

(c) rails supported on opposite sides of said enclosure and extending toward each other on which said closure is slidable and extending outwardly of said one side of said enclosure for supporting said closure in open position,

(d) a shaft mounted on said rails adjacent the outwardly extending distal ends thereof,

(e) crank arm means non-rotatably mounted on and extending radially from said shaft,

(f) linkage pivotally connected at one end to said projecting end of said closure and pivotally connected at its opposite end to said crank arm means on said shaft,

(g) said crank arm means and said linkage being adapted to assume a straightened position when said closure is in fully closed position,

(h) said shaft upon rotation to move said closure from closed to open position being adapted to swing said linkage from its straightened position to fold on said shaft and thereafter upon continued rotation of said shaft in the same direction said linkage being adapted to function as crank means,

(i) the pivot axis between said crank arm means and said linkage passing through the path of movement of said closure during a portion of its movement between open and closed position, and

(i) means positioned on the distal end of one of said rails and cooperating with said likage during the initial closing movement of said closure from full' open position to convert the rotational movement of said operating shaft into translatory movement of said closure.

2. The invention, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for converting the rotational movement of the operating shaft into translatory movement of the closure includes:

(a) bearing sector means extending laterally from the linkage intermediate its ends and presenting a cylindrical configuration concentrically related to the axis of rotation of said shaft when said linkage is folded as aforesaid, and

(b) abutment seat means carried by the one rail in such position as to engage said bearing sector means tangentially during rotation of said shaft from its position with said linkage folded thereon to move said closure toward closed position.

3. The invention, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the crank arms means and the link age is such that on rotation of the shaft in a direction to move the closure from closed to open position a pull is exerted on said closure through said linkage to move said closure in contact with the rails until said linkage is folded on Said shaft and thereafter said linkage operates as crank means to lift the projecting end of the closure out of contact with said rails.

4. The invention, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the closure in the upward movement of its projecting end has a tilting movement about the underlying one side of the enclosure.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

(a) intermediate portions of the rails inside the one side of the enclosure are omitted to permit the closure to have a tilting movement both inside and outside said enclosure about said one side, and

(b) the relationship between the crank arm means and the linkage is such that on rotation of the shaft in a direction to move said closure from closed to open position a pull is exerted on said closure through said linkage to move said closure in contact with said rails until said linkage is folded on said shaft and thereafter said linkage operates as crank means to tilt said closure about said one side.

6. The invention, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the closure is movable through a lslot in the one side of the enclosure through which it projects and the upper margin of said slot in cooperation with portions of the rails on opposite sides of the closure guides said closure for translatory movement during the initial portion of its opening movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 609,816 Kramer Aug. 30, 1898 731,817 Russell June 23, 1903 812,783 Campbell Feb. 13, 1906 962,465 Quinn June 28, 1910 998,326 Coleman July 18, 1911 1,019,875 Wright Mar. 12, 1912 1,031,925 Handy July 9, 1912 1,122,273 Hansen Dec. 29, 1914 1,122,918 Hart et al. Dec. 29, 1914 1,271,474 Keithley July 2, 1918 1,378,216 Cristianson May 17, 1921 1,402,836 Campbell Jan. 10, 1922 1,444,730 Cristianson Feb. 6, 1923 1,956,310 Boyd Apr. 24, 1934 2,317,007 Weniger Apr. 20, 1943 2,859,707 Dorey Nov. 11, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,082,704 March 26, 1963 George B. Dorey It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 5, line 3, after "shaft" insert rotatably Signed and sealed this 8th day of October 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWIN L. REYNOLDS RNEST W. SWIDER .ttesting Officer Ac t i ng Commissioner of Patents 

1. A DISCHARGE OUTLET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) AN ENCLOSURE DEFINING A DISCHARGE OPENING, (B) A SLIDABLE CLOSURE FOR SAID OPENING PROJECTING AT ONE END THROUGH ONE SIDE OF SAID ENCLOSURE IN CLOSED POSITION AND MOVABLE TO OPEN POSITION BEYOND SAID ONE SIDE, (C) RAILS SUPPORTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ENCLOSURE AND EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER ON WHICH SAID CLOSURE IS SLIDABLE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID ENCLOSURE FOR SUPPORTING SAID CLOSURE IN OPEN POSITION, (D) A SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID RAILS ADJACENT THE OUTWARDLY EXTENDING DISTAL ENDS THEREOF, (E) CRANK ARM MEANS NON-ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT, (F) LINKAGE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID PROJECTING END OF SAID CLOSURE AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OPPOSITE END TO SAID CRANK ARM MEANS ON SAID SHAFT, (G) SAID CRANK ARM MEANS AND SAID LINKAGE BEING ADAPTED TO ASSUME A STRAIGHTENED POSITION WHEN SAID CLOSURE IS IN FULLY CLOSED POSITION, (H) SAID SHAFT UPON ROTATION TO MOVE SAID CLOSURE FROM CLOSED TO OPEN POSITION BEING ADAPTED TO SWING SAID LINKAGE FROM ITS STRAIGHTENED POSITION TO FOLD ON SAID SHAFT AND THEREAFTER UPON CONTINUED ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT IN THE SAME DIRECTION SAID LINKAGE BEING ADAPTED TO FUNCTION AS CRANK MEANS, (I) THE PIVOT AXIS BETWEEN SAID CRANK ARM MEANS AND SAID LINKAGE PASSING THROUGH THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE DURING A PORTION OF ITS MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITION, AND (J) MEANS POSITIONED ON THE DISTAL END OF ONE OF SAID RAILS AND COOPERATING WITH SAID LINKAGE DURING THE INITIAL CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE FROM FULL OPEN POSITION TO CONVERT THE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING SHAFT INTO TRANSLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE. 